Gary Smith

Gary, is Chairman of Flight Centre, one of the world’s largest retail and corporate travel businesses, operating in over 30 countries and one of the industry’s enduring success stories. He is also a Director of Michael Hill International Limited and Chair of that company’s Audit and Risk committee.

Gary is founder and Managing Director of Tourism Leisure Corporation, which has for over 20 years operated several businesses within the tourism and leisure industries. He also has extensive experience in audit and risk due to his early career at Arthur Andersen & Co and his long career as a public company director where he has served on a number of Audit and Risk committees. He is a chartered accountant.

An experienced Chairman and non – executive director, Gary is a life member of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and a former Chairman of that organisation. He is also a former deputy chair and director of Ecotourism Australia, which is Australia’s leading industry group representing the nature based segment of the tourism industry. He was also a director of Tourism and Events Queensland.

Gary has extensive experience in regional tourism, he and his colleagues conceived the much heralded Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island. Gary guided the establishment of the resort as a leader in the relatively new area of ecotourism and operated the business from opening in 1992 until its sale in early 2018.

Gary brings to the board a very broad experience of developing, acquiring and operating a wide variety of tourism businesses, from resorts and hotels to tourist attractions. He has a deep understanding of the tourism industry, including how tourism can play a major role in the improvement of economies in regional Australia.